1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heating and cooling devices and in particular to an outdoor system for heating or cooling water in a coil and circulating the heated or cooled water through camping and outdoor survival apparatus and equipment, such as sleeping bags, tents, chairs, cooking utensils, emergency outdoor surgery table, and showers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People have always sought an economical and efficient way to provide heat both indoors and outdoors.
In outdoor activity, such as camping, hiking, mountain climbing, skiing, hunting, or other outdoor recreation and in outdoor survival situations, such as people being stranded outdoors as a result of a vehicle breakdown or accident or plane crash, survival is threatened in conditions of extreme cold or extreme heat. Rapidly lowered body temperature in extreme cold and rapidly elevated body temperature in extreme heat can be life threatening conditions.
Even in conditions of moderate cold or heat, comfort provided by appropriate heating or cooling to moderate the temperature makes outdoor activity far more enjoyable, especially for sleeping outdoors at night. In addition creature comforts, such as a hot shower on a camping or hiking expedition or other extended outdoor activity makes a civilized and hygienically healthy addition to roughing it in the wilds.
Indoor heating systems have been brought to a high degree of efficiency, but when power outages occur from storms, earthquakes, and other natural or any man-made disasters, most indoor heating systems shut off because the temperature controls rely on electricity for their operation. Usually this shut down occurs during storms, which may produce high winds, snow, and ice to break power lines. Often the temperature is low. Efficient and inexpensive back-up heating systems would provide comfort under such circumstances and would save lives under conditions of extreme cold when the indoor heating system fails.
In extremely hot weather, when power outages occur often due to power drains from air conditioners, efficient and inexpensive back-up cooling systems would provide comfort and save lives by preventing heat strokes.
Prior art attempts at solving these problems have focused primarily on providing heat in cold conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,970 issued to Legare provides a heated sleeping bag ground pad using a flat heat reservoir which incorporates a shallow container of water with a metal bottom and pipes leading into and out of it and a top plastic cover housing a plastic water pump. The Legare device would not allow heating directly over an open fire because of the danger of melting the plastic top and pump. It appears that only a small amount of heat could be provided by the Legare device. The heat would only be supplied to a ground pad located close to the heating reservoir. Because it cannot be placed directly in a camp fire, but sits next to the fire, in time the apparatus will loose contact with the heat source rendering it ineffective. Legare provides a small reservoir of water which would soon evaporate. The thermal switch provided in the Legare patent is complex and subject to failure as a result, particularly under the rugged conditions of outdoor activities.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 382,090 issued to Pruett, shows an electrically heated sleeping bag with an element that appears to plug into a cigarette lighter of a vehicle or other electrical source. This device is limited to use with a vehicle or in proximity to some source of electricity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,779 issued to Lee et al, describes an air-cushioned sleeping bag which incorporates a heating pad which must be plugged into an electric outlet, with limitation of use to the close proximity of an electrical outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,868 issued to Susa et al, provides a far infrared ray radiating mattress for heating the human body. It requires an electrical outlet as a power source.
None of the prior art devices provide an outdoor system that can be used both for heating and cooling.
None of the prior art devices provide an outdoor heating system with a heating unit that can be placed directly in the fire to produce a substantial amount of heat that can be circulated to devices a substantial distance from the fire and through a number of outdoor devices, including sleeping bags, tents, showers, heaters, emergency outdoor surgery tables, and cooking utensils.
None of the prior art devices having a heating unit that can remain in the fire for the life of the fire to produce heat for a prolonged amount of time.